poppyshake

This is another one of those books that I bought because I loved the cover (why do I always do this!!?). I thought it started magnificently and I really enjoyed it but then it seemed to fizzle out and it felt to me like the author had lost his way and didn't even know himself how to finish it .. I was angry with it because it had so much promise.

Snap .. I loved the beginning of 'the End of Mr Y' but was so disappointed by the final third of the book but still I bought 'Popco' (must be those gorgeous covers!) and it's sat on my bookshelf ever since. I must get around to giving it a go.

Yes he read them just as you would if reading yourself (stopping off in the narrative to read them)... somehow it worked fine. It was about 32 hours long though. His voice characterisation is fantastic .. Vinculus in particular and also the gentleman with the thistledown hair .. in fact everyone. I could only afford it on the rental plan .. otherwise it's a whopping

Ha.. ha .. or it could easily be West

It's a small fictional village in North Wales I think.

I've just finished listening to the unabridged download of this from Audible read by Simon Prebble and was just enchanted by the whole book .. it does start slowly or at least there is a huge amount of information to take in .. even before we've been introduced to Jonathan Strange but it's all worth it. I'm really impressed by it .. it's quite Austenesque but as she was writing about the Regency period that's to be expected and in any case the subject matter is vastly different. I just hope it doesn't take Susanna another ten years to write the sequel (or the book that she says is set in the same world though probably not featuring Jonathan or Mr Norrell). I am inspired to read the book even though I've heard it read ... and I also want to read the accompanying 'Ladies of Grace Adieu' ... it's the best book I've read/heard in a long time.

I really loved this book and sailed through it, it was just so beautifully written.